Why Women Face a Greater Risk Than You Think

A sobering perspective on female health for International Women’s Day 2025

International Women’s Day is meant to celebrate the social, political, cultural and professional achievements of women, yet equal amounts of attention are given to the fact that gender equality still has a long road ahead.  

The source of the risk lies in gender bias in healthcare, which can show in multiple ways, including delays to diagnoses, dismissal of symptoms, or inaccessibility of appropriate treatment geared towards the female body. Given that this risk concerns 50% of human population, let’s explore its nature and equip ourselves with knowledge that will help reduce that risk for current and future generations of women.

What are the symptoms of gender bias in healthcare?

Gender bias in healthcare can present itself in various forms:

• Girls are far less likely to be diagnosed with autism than boys, because the diagnosis process is tailored to male patients. The CDC in the US reports that autism is nearly four times more common in boys than in girls, but research suggests the disparity is due to diagnostic gender bias. Additionally, girls tend to be diagnosed 1.8 years later than boys, which may be linked to the fact that girls are socialised to mask their challenges, living their day to day lives under pressure to hide how they truly feel, struggling to ask for help.
• Medical professionals are more likely to dismiss women patients as too sensitive, even if they experience pain. A recent study found that women experiencing severe abdominal pain waited almost 33% longer than men with similar symptoms to receive treatment. Additionally, the area of reproductive health reveals similar concerns. Women unnecessarily suffer for years from reproductive conditions like endometriosis, due to "medical misogyny."
• Women are less likely to receive appropriate treatment for heart attack, because doctors use diagnostic criteria geared towards men. In fact, data shows that women are 50% more likely to be misdiagnosed with a heart attack compared to men, despite carrying the same risk of developing cardiovascular diseases. A woman experiencing chest pain may be dismissed as having anxiety, when in fact, she is having a heart attack. This delay can lead to severe outcomes, including heart damage or even death.

How does gender bias in healthcare impact women’s lives?

The consequences of gender bias in healthcare are far-reaching and they impact every area of women’s lives. 

Their physical wellbeing can be severely affected, when women are left to suffer longer and more intensely from untreated conditions. If those conditions develop into temporary or permanent disabilities (which may be invisible, like most autoimmune conditions), women face more disability discrimination than men. A chilling example of that is the fact that disabled women are victims of domestic violence nearly twice as often as non-disabled women. 

If chronic conditions develop, the impact on professional life is just as great, as women become less able to fully participate in the workforce, leading to missed opportunities for promotions or career advancements. 

Family life suffers, too. Women are more likely to take on caregiving responsibilities for both children and elderly relatives. When gender bias in healthcare leaves them in poor health, it limits their ability to fulfil these roles, and it affects their financial wellbeing due to increased treatment costs and a possible loss of income.

Lastly, women’s mental health is affected, too. Constant dismissals of health concerns can lead to chronic stress, anxiety, and depression, and a loss of faith in the healthcare system, which may in turn result in women avoiding necessary care. 

The consequences of this vicious circle of gender inequality doesn’t only affect women, but also everyone in their lives – their partners, children, parents, friends, and colleagues, which is why it’s important to understand what role we all play in challenging the bias and helping current and future generations of women.

What steps can we take to challenge gender bias in healthcare?

Challenging gender bias in healthcare requires several actions. 

1. To tackle systemic issues, we must first ensure education and training for healthcare professionals on gender differences in symptoms and pain perception. This can help shift biases toward a more accurate understanding of women's health. A promising example of that is the work of the Center for Gender Medicine at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden. They have integrated gender-specific medicine into medical education, training doctors to recognize how symptoms manifest differently in men and women.

2. Medical research also plays a critical role. Prioritizing gender-diverse studies can provide data on how diseases manifest and affect women differently, leading to better treatment and diagnostic tools tailored to women’s needs. For example, the EUGenMed Project, funded by the European Commission, was initiated to enhance the integration of gender considerations into health research across Europe.

3. On an individual level, women have the power to advocate for themselves by being proactive about their health concerns. If dismissed or misdiagnosed, they can request second opinions, insist on further tests, and remember that they don’t need to take ‘No’ for an answer. There are plenty of resources available to help women educate themselves on the power of self-advocacy, like books by Dr Jen Gunter or Alison E. Buehler, Ed.

4. Lastly, those of us who care about women in our lives, can also take an active role in challenging the bias. If a woman you know is dismissed by a medical professional, you can offer emotional support and encourage her to seek a second opinion or push for further investigation. You can help her navigate the healthcare system by researching treatment options and accompanying her to appointments. By standing alongside her and challenging biased views, you show that her health matters, and you’re actively working to challenge the stigma and stereotypes. 

This International Women’s Day, let’s consider the unseen risks related to women’s health and while we learn to play our own role in fighting the bias, let’s remember to empower girls and young women with the knowledge that their health concerns are valid. 

With that, I wish you a happy and healthy International Women’s Day! 

Connect with the Author:

Anna Pawlowicz is the founder of HumanKind, a Copenhagen-based organisation whose purpose is to create social change around disability and neurodiversity inclusion by making it part of workplace culture. HumanKind helps business leaders, HR, line managers and all employees take practical steps towards inclusion by building the knowledge, confidence and skills they need to engage in the subject of disability and neurodiversity in the workplace.

Connect with Anna on LinkedIn, follow HumanKind for latest news on disability and neurodiversity at work, and visit HumanKind’s website to learn more.